In March 2013, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that the city of Tarpon Springs, Florida, had started building a brackish water reverse osmosis plant on 25 March 2013. Its design capacity was around 19,000 m³/day (5 MGD). The scheme cost US$35 million, with US$20.1 million granted by the regional Southwest Florida Water Management District. Fourteen wells were ready to supply raw water. Wharton-Smith Construction Group held the design-build role, and the city was considering deep-well injection for the concentrate.
The report showed a Florida municipality tapping brackish groundwater with reverse osmosis while relying on a regional grant for more than half of the cost. Concentrate disposal was still an open question at groundbreaking.